


Fairy Tales Are Nothing But Dreams

by Cinnabonns



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Bisexual Hitachiin Kaoru, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Major Original Character(s), Minor Fujioka Haruhi/Suoh Tamaki, Minor Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Smoking, Underage Smoking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:54:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25075693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cinnabonns/pseuds/Cinnabonns
Summary: Ayaka was a transfer student to Ouran high school. She didn't expect much out of herself; all she expected was to stick with her books, and just be the quiet kid. But what she didn't expect was to make seven new friends, who were all in a peculiar club, on the first day. And she also didn't expect to fall for one of the club members.
Relationships: As a background ship tho, Fujioka Haruhi/Suoh Tamaki, Hitachiin Kaoru & Original Character(s), Hitachiin Kaoru/Original Male Character(s), Minor or Background Relationship(s), Ootori Kyouya & Original Female Character(s), Ootori Kyouya/Original Female Character(s), just hints of it tho
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

Ayaka was to transfer into Ouran high school the next day. Her golden dress uniform was laid out on her bed, and her school books all stacked on her desk. She typed on her computer quickly and diligently, hoping that the message wasn’t too long. She knew her friend was in a different timezone--he was actually probably sleeping by now--but Ayaka didn’t want to sleep until she sent the email to him. Besides, she did promise him to email and text him daily.

She froze for a few seconds when she heard a knock on her open door. “Mind if I come in?” She relaxed when she heard her brother's voice, and continued to type.

“Of course. Just please don’t touch the dress; I don’t want to be judged by wearing a wrinkled dress for the first day of my transfer.”

Her brother, Seiji, sat on her bed, being careful of the dress. “So,” he started with a smile, “how’s it been so far?”

“Fine, I guess,” Ayaka answered, adjusting her glasses. “I’m currently sending an email to Charles about Ouran, and after a few days the jet-lag’s finally gone, so now I’m just dealing with the anxieties and fears that my classmates and peers will ruthlessly make fun of me, I’ll be lonely for the rest of my year at the school, and I’ll fail miserably in all of my classes, and that everybody will hate me.”

Seiji sighed. “Aya, you’re a quiet kid; literally no one’s gonna notice you. They might give you some attention since you’re new, but that’s about it. Knowing you, you might not make any friends, but I doubt it; you’ll at least make one. If you don’t, you have me, that Charles kid in America, and your books. Lastly, you’re like the smartest kid I know. You made the highest marks in all of your classes back in America--I don’t think you’ll be failing anytime soon. And I don’t think anyone could hate you. You’re wonderful and kind, and sweet, and I don’t think it’s possible for people to even hate you. So please, don’t worry so much.”

Ayaka finished up her email, and closed her laptop. “I know. But my brain keeps thinking about all of these ‘what ifs’ and I can’t focus on anything. I’ve already cried three times today and I’m trying not to make it a fourth.” Taking a deep breath, Ayaka tried to calm herself.

Seiji got up and walked over, bringing her to a hug. “Hey, hey, it’s fine,” he soothed. “Tomorrow, everything is going to be fine. It’s going to be a fine day, I promise you. I know it’s scary, going to a new school. And I know that everyone is going to want to talk to you, but you’ll have to be strong, okay? Be strong for me.”

Ayaka nodded, and got up. “I suppose I should rest, shouldn’t I?” 

“Yeah, I should sleep, too. Dad plans on dragging me to another business meeting of his; early morning, too. I should sleep.” Giving his sister another hug, and promptly left her room. Sighing, she ran her hand through her thick, curly raven black hair. She was happy that she already unbraided her hair, and was already in her nightgown; tiredness was quickly taking over. Carefully placing the uniform onto a hanger, Ayaka laid on her bed with a sigh.

She just hoped that everything would be fine at school.

* * *

Her morning was like any other. Just with more anxiety and fear filling her head. Braiding her hair into two simple braids, both resting on each of her shoulders, and changed into the uniform. Drinking coffee for breakfast, she sat with her brother (who was actually eating a healthy breakfast).

“Sis, don’t worry, at least you’re transferring earlier in the year; school just started a few weeks ago, so you don’t have to worry about missing a whole lot.” Checking the time, Seiji sighed. “Dad’s meeting me at the meeting, I have to get going.” Shoving the rest of the toast into his mouth, he gave his sister a smile and thumbs-up “I believe in you, Ayaka,” he mumbled, food in his mouth, and left. 

Ayaka gathered her things, and left for her ride. Entering the limo, she took deep breaths. All she had to do was to keep calm, that’s all. She hoped that no one would bother her too much; all she wished was for a quiet first day. Possibly make at least one acquaintance, but that’s pushing it.

Before she knew it, the vehicle stopped in front of the school. God, it was actually happening, wasn’t it? Ayaka took a deep breath and fiddled with her glasses. She wished that she stayed in America--at least she had one friend over there, plus her brother. But Ayaka knew that that wasn’t happening. Her father’s business brought him back to Japan, and was going to stay for a while. 

Entering the school, she went ignored by the students, who were talking with their friends. She stayed on her path, heading towards her class. She was happy to have studied the map and layout of the school, knowing exactly where to go. Entering the class, she found around half of the students actually there; the rest were probably out in the hallways with their friends. The teacher, who sat at her desk, smiled when she noticed Ayaka.

“Ah, you’re the new student, correct? We have a few minutes before the bell rings, so you can talk with a few classmates, and I’ll introduce you to the class when class starts. If you have any questions about anything, don’t be afraid to ask.”

“Of-of course! Thank you,” Ayaka said with a nod. She was honestly surprised; no student noticed her yet, all too busy in their own conversations. Noticing an empty desk in the very back, Ayaka headed there and sat down, book in her hand. She was currently reading _The Red Fairy Book_ ; she was always a fan of fairy tales, and since she recently finished _The Blue Fairy Book_ , as well as _The Green Fairy Book_ , so she decided to reread the Red one for the time being.

As she read, she noticed a few fingers drumming on the desk she was borrowing. Looking up, she noticed a blonde, bright blue-eyed boy, whose desk was located in front of the one she was using. The boy gave a smile.

“Hello there, princess. I can’t say that I recognize you; are you new to Ouran high school?”

Ayaka stayed quiet for a few moments, processing his words. Did he just call her ‘princess’? Who would do that? He must’ve been overly confident, or just plain stupid--who calls random girls ‘princess’? But it didn’t seem to matter; other girls were already fawning over him, talking about him.

“Oh, sorry, I...y-yeah, I’m new,” Ayaka said, pushing her glasses up.

He gave her a smile. “Ah, well, it’s very nice to meet you. I would love to get to know you better, but I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you to move to a different desk. You see, that one belongs to my best friend, Kyo-” he was interrupted by a hand, not so gently being placed into her desk. Looking up, she felt chills going down her spine, as she was met with a glare from a raven haired boy, glasses glinting in the light.

Immediately getting up, Ayaka apologized profusely as she quickly left, book in hand. She looked around, and sat down at a desk a few feet away from where she last was. Even though there were many kids talking around her, she could still make out the conversation the two were having.

“That wasn’t very nice, Kyoya,” the blonde haired boy said, as the other sat down, opening up his laptop.

He gave a sigh. “Yes, I know; I don’t need your lecture right now, Tamaki. I’ve been up until three in the morning, getting only two and a half hours of sleep.”

Tamaki frowned. “That doesn’t excuse scaring that poor girl! Next time we have the chance, I want you to apologize to her, okay?”

Kyoya gave another sigh. “Fine, I’ll apologize.”

Once the bell rang, Ayaka walked up to the front of the class. She already felt herself get nervous, having all of the eyes on her. “Class, this is our new transfer student, Oshiro Ayaka.”

“H-hi! It’s...i-it’s nice to meet you all,” Ayaka greeted, answered by a few murmurs of the students. She felt heat rise to her face, already bombarding herself with ways of how she could’ve introduced herself better, any sort of way that could’ve been better. “Sorry…” she mumbled, too quiet for anyone to hear.

“Everyone, please be kind to Ms. Oshiro,” the teacher turned to Ayaka with a kind smile. “There’s an open desk in the very back, near the windows.” With a nod, she headed for the desk. She ignored the eyes that watched her (though it was quite hard to ignore them), and sat down. Book open in her lap, she continued to read as the teacher started the lesson. She just hoped that the rest of the day wouldn’t be too bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there's the end of the first chapter! I would just like to say that I don't have an updating schedule, and that I'll update this fic whenever I can.  
> I would also like to add that I'm not that familiar with Japanese customs, or schools in Japan, so if you see any inaccuracies, don't be afraid to tell me :)
> 
> I really hoped you enjoyed this chapter! Reviews are always appreciated. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

When the bell rang for lunch, Ayaka wanted to just get up, and head down to the lunch room and eat her packed lunch. But instead, students gathered around her desks, asking her hundreds of questions.

"Your name's Oshiro, right? Are you the daughter of the owner of the Oshiro Toy Company?"

"Oh, what book are you reading?"

"Where did you transfer from?"

"Hey, do you think you can get your father to agree to a meeting with mine?"

Everyone was talking at once; it was stressful for Ayaka. She was used to the quiet house that she lived in, where very few talked. That's why she always hated schools-everyone talked all the time, talking over each other. There was never a quiet moment during those eight hours. She wanted to answer everyone's questions, she really did, but whenever she tried to say one word, she was drowned down by everyone else. Ayaka stared down at her desk, forcing herself not to get overwhelmed. She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself.

"Now now people, this isn't very nice towards Ayaka. Please give her some breathing space; she's obviously uncomfortable."

People when silent as he said this. Looking up, Ayaka realized that it was the boy from before...Tamaki, she believed his name was, if she remembered correctly.

Tamaki gave her a kind smile. "Ayaka," he started, his voice lower, "do you want to join me and my friends for lunch? I'm sure that they would be happy to meet you."

Ayaka stared at him for a few moments, then realizing that she had to answer. "Oh! I wouldn't mind. I mean-sorry-I mean I wouldn't mind joining you and your friends," she answered. God, why did she have to stumble over her words now?

Tamaki gave her a brighter smile. "Good! Kyoya and the others are already there, so we'll meet up with them." Grabbing Ayaka by the hand, he led her out of the classroom, girls in the hallway staring and whispering about it all. "Princess, I couldn't help but notice that you were reading a book earlier. If you don't mind, what book was it that you were reading?"

Ayaka stammered for a few moments, and looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me 'princess'," she said, wiggling her hand out of Tamaki's grip.

"Of course, Ayaka," Tamaki said, his smile not disappearing. "Let's get going, we should go and eat."

In the lunchroom, Ayaka was met with loudness coming in all directions. Following Tamaki, she nervously fidgeted with her brown bag that held her lunch, eyes trained on her shoes as she walked. Tamaki poked her arm, catching her attention.

"I'll go get my lunch. The table we're sitting at is the one with the two redheads; over there," he said, pointing over to a table with twins sitting there. Nodding, she walked over, and sat down in between one of the twins, and a brunette.

The twin next to her looked over. "Hey, this seat is taken. Boss wouldn't be really happy if someone was in his spot next to Haruhi."

"Oh, I-I'm sorry," Ayaka said, pushing her glasses. "The blonde one, Tamaki was his name I believe, said I could sit here…"

The brunette looked over. "Tamaki-senpai let you sit here? That's a first." Ayaka was given a smile. "I'm Haruhi; the twin's over there are Hikaru and Kaoru."

"Well, it's nice to meet you guys. I-"

"Hello, Ms. Oshiro."

Ayaka paused when she heard the voice. Across the table, was Kyoya, scribbling in his notebook.

"Kyoya-senpai, you already finished lunch?" Kaoru questioned, mindlessly swapping lunches with his brother.

"I didn't get lunch-I'm not hungry."

"Now now Kyoya, what did I tell you about not eating?" Tamaki asked, sitting next to Kyoya.

"Yeah, Kyo-chan! At least have some cake!" a small boy said, holding out a slice of cake.

"Like I said, I'm not really hungry right now, Honey-senpai," he answered, not looking away from his book. "Also, Ms. Oshiro, I would like to apologize about my actions this morning; it was not my intention to frighten you."

"O-oh, it's fine, Kyoya," Ayaka said, starting to take out her lunch. Hikaru leaned in.

"Hey, lady, wanna switch lunches with me?" he asked bluntly. Hearing this, his brother, who sat on the other side of Hikaru, leaned over the table to see her lunch. Her lunch was pretty simple; it was American-style sliders, with a small caesar salad on the side, along with a bottle of water.

"Hey, miss, why don't you switch with me? I have a way better lunch," Kaoru said. "Or…"

"You could just switch with both of us," they said in unison. "We'll share your lunch, and you get both of ours. Okay? We haven't had American food in a while."

"I, um…"

"Guys, stop messing with Ayaka. I'm sure she doesn't want to trade lunches." Haruhi interrupted. "Just ignore those two knuckleheads, okay?"

"Alright," Ayaka said. The small boy from across the table leaned onto the table to get closer.

"Hey, why don't you come visit the host club? We have cake there!" he said, a bright smile on his face.

"Honey-senpai, I don't think she wants to deal with our chaotic club," Haruhi said. Ayaka gave a nervous smile.

"Oh, it's fine, Haruhi. I would love to visit this club of yours." As Honey cheered at this, Haruhi gave a sigh.

"If you say so. But just prepare yourself, okay?"

"Prepare for what, exactly?" Ayaka asked, but was never answered, as there was a squeal across the table, near where Kyoya was, now typing on his laptop.

Tamaki quickly went around the table, and gave Ayaka a hug. "You're going to go to our club? Wonderful! Oh, I'm so excited-"

"Tamaki, put Ms. Oshiro down," Kyoya cut off, giving Tamaki a half glare. "She's obviously uncomfortable with you invading her personal space." Tamaki paused, and quickly leaped off of her. He slowly walked back to his seat, quietly sulking.

"Don't worry, it's fine Tamaki," Ayaka defended. Kyoto shook his head, but continued his work.

"If you want to visit our club, it's in music room number three," Kyoya said. Ayaka gave a nod, and was silent for the most part as she ate. The group mostly left her alone, the twins and Tamaki asking the most questions. Soon after though, after a few answers of mumbled words, they went to their own devices, talking amongst themselves.

Even if she didn't admit it, she was excited to see what this club was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! Kudos and comments are appreciated. Thank you!


	3. Chapter 3

Once the school day was over, Ayaka contacted her driver, telling him that she was staying late for a club. She walked through the hallways, a few students lingering with their friends. Finding the third music room, she took a deep breath. Slowly, she opened the door.

"Welcome~"

Ayaka stared for a few moments, confused as why rose petals were flying through the air. When they noticed Ayaka, Tamaki gave a bright smile.

"Oh, Ayaka! I'm glad to see that you came," he said, as Ayaka approached the group.

"Yes, well, you did ask me to come, and it would be rude if I didn't," she replied. "But, I'm wondering; what kind of club is this…?"

"This is Ouran Academy's host club. The host club is where the school's handsomest boys, with too much time on their hands, entertain young ladies, who also have way too much time on their hands. Just think of it as Ouran Academy's elegant playground for the super-rich and beautiful," Tamaki answered.

"I...see…." Ayaka said, staring at the group, trying to wrap her mind around it. "So...what do I do then?"

"Well, for starters, you can choose which club member you would like to be with for the day," Tamaki said. "There's Mori, the strong, silent type," he gestured to the tall student behind him, "the boy-lolita, who goes by Honey," the small boy from earlier waved, and she couldn't help but notice a pink bunny plush in his hands. "Or maybe you want to be with the mischievous type?" Hikaru and Kaoru both gave her a sweet smile. "Or maybe the cool type-Kyoya?"

Tamaki looked over to a nearby table, where Kyoya was. Already typing away, Kyoya didn't even seem to notice Tamaki. He sighed. "Sometimes Kyoya has so much to do on his plate, you must forgive him."

"Ah, no worries, it's fine," Ayaka said, with a nervous smile.

"Alright then, back to the introduction," he started, "maybe you like the natural type." Haruhi gave her a small smile and a wave. "Or maybe... you like someone like me; the princely type." Ayaka stared at him, stammering.

Haruhi sighed. "Tamaki-senpai, let me handle her today. She's obviously overwhelmed by all of this, and I don't want her to be too uncomfortable over all of this."

Before Ayaka could agree with Haruhi, she felt two arms slink around her shoulders. "C'mon Haruhi," the twins said in unison, "why don't we take Ayaka?"

"I mean, I guess if she's fine with it, I can't really stop you…"

The twins gave her a smile. "What do you say, Ayaka?" they asked.

"We-well, I don't see why not…" she said, adjusting her glasses.

"Well, the doors will be opening in a few moments," Tamaki announced, "so everyone, find your places!"

Ayaka was dragged over by the twins to a couch. She thought that she could possibly sneak in a few seconds of reading, but soon other girls were sitting next to her on the couch, others sitting on chairs nearby. She tried to continue to read, the other girls mostly just ignoring her.

Hikaru and Kaoru both gave a sweet smile to the girls. "How have you ladies been?" they both ask. The ladies giggled and gave their answers, all varying answers. Ayaka listened to them, but mostly focused on her book.

One of the girls who sat by Ayaka gave a smile. "I've baked a pie for you two," she said, handing over a sliced piece of pie. "I really hope that you two like it."

Hikaru grabbed the plate with a smile. "Thank you so much," he said. He cut a piece out of the slice, and scooped it with the fork. "Here, Kaoru," he said, "try some."

Kaoru stammered. "H-Hikaru!" he protested, "I can get my own piece." He looked away, almost in embarrassment. "I'll get my own."

Hikaru reached out for Kaoru, grabbing his chin gently to lead him over. He brought his face close to his. "Kaoru, we both know how much you don't mind that I do this. We do it all the time during lunch," he said.

"H...Hikaru…"

Hikaru brought the piece up to Kaoru, with a gentle look on his face. Kaoru slowly ate the piece, slowly closing his mouth. Hikaru smiled, face still close to his brother.

Girls all around were squealing over this, causing Ayaka to flinch over the loud noise. She didn't understand the appeal of it all. Her eyes trained onto her lap, she tried to just deal with the loudness of them; she at least has a quiet home where she can read in peace and quiet.

Hikaru smiled as he got his own bite. "This cake is wonderful," he complimented.

"Yeah, and I bet tea would go great with this, too," Kaoru added. "Ayaka, do you wanna help me get some?" Her head shot up when she heard her name, eyes full of confusion and worry. Why did he want her to help? Did she do something wrong?

"U-um, sure," she agrees, pushing her glasses. Putting her book down, she quietly followed Kaoru. She could feel the stares of the other girls on her back, and even Hikaru's stare of confusion of why Kaoru brought her along.

She followed Kaoru to where the tea was. Getting out a few cups, Kaoru took out the pot to pour some. "So," he started, pouring out some tea, "are you okay, Ayaka?"

"Hm? What do you mean?" she asked, a nervous smile on her face.

"I saw how nervous you got back there," Kaoru said. "Were we making you uncomfortable?"

"What? No! You two weren't making me uncomfortable," she said. "I was just...startled, by the squealing girls, was all. I'm...not that used too loud noises."

Kaoru gave a tiny nod. "Well, you could sit with Kyoya-senpai. He's usually alone, writing in that notebook of his. He also doesn't really talk that much, so you don't have to worry about that."

She gave a small smile. "Thank you," she said, Kaoru giving a smile back. Before she could say anything else, her phone buzzed. Grabbing it, she realized that it was Seiji calling her. "Excuse me, I need to take this," she said.

"Sure; just take it out of the room, the halls should be silent," Kaoru said. Nodding her head in thanks, she quickly rushed out of the room, she closed the door behind her and answered the call.

" _Aya! Where have you been? I just got home from the meeting-okay, that's a lie; I went and escaped Dad's wrath of scolding me about how I hunched over for like, a second, but that's not the point! Where are you?"_

"I'm currently still at Ouran, Seiji," she said. "I'm currently at a club."

" _What's this? You're already checking out clubs you can join? Sis, I'm so proud of you for stepping out of your comfort zone!"_

"Well, it was more like they asked me to come by their club and I don't have the ability to say no to people."

" _Aw, c'mon Aya! Did you at least enjoy the club? What even was the club?"_

"I'll uh, explain the club later at home," she said. "And I...got just a bit overwhelmed by all of it; there were a lot of people and a lot of loud noises…"

She heard a sigh. " _Sis, I know you spent your entire summer inside the house, where literally there is no noise, but you need to get used to this. You can't go your whole life not dealing with loud noises and loud people. I deal with them all the time; the people in the meetings are ignorant and self-obsessed people, and you will probably have to deal with them someday too."_

She gave a sigh. "I know, Seiji."

" _Alright. Well, could you please come home soon? I need someone to hang out with."_

"The club activity should be ending soon," Ayaka answered. "After that, I'll thank them for inviting me and I'll head home, okay?"

" _Alright. See you then."_

"Bye." With that, she hung up, took a deep breath, and reentered the room. She found the hosts all bidding their goodbyes to the ladies. Getting out of the way, she watched as the girls left the room, all giggling and talking to one another. Once they left, she turned and walked over to the club members, who were taking their time and winding down for the day.

Kaoru, noticing her, gave Ayaka a smile.

"Hey Ayaka," Hikaru said, not giving his brother a chance to speak. "What was that call about?"

"Oh, it was just my brother wondering where I was," she answered. She turned to Tamaki with a smile. "That being said, I'm afraid I have to leave; my brother wants me home as soon as possible. I really had fun here today, though." She noticed Kaoru gave a tiny frown, his mouth forming into a firm line. He knew she was lying-she was a little too overwhelmed by it all, he knew that she didn't enjoy today-but decided not to say anything.

Tamaki gave her a polite smile. "Of course, Ayaka. I really hope we see you here tomorrow."

"Yeah! Maybe tomorrow we could have cake," Honey spoke up, Mori giving a silent nod.

"It was lovely having you here," Kyoya said, looking up from his notebook with a smile. "We hope to see you here again."

"Yes, I'll be sure to come back tomorrow," she said, and left the room. The group slowly went back to their own things, their own conversations. Kaoru looked over to Kyoya, who was writing in his black notebook.

"Hey, Kyoya-senpai," Kaoru started, catching both Kyoya's and Hikaru's attention, "what do you know about Ayaka?"

"Well, she's in the same class as me and Tamaki," Kyoya started, "and she has an older brother named Seiji, who's a few years older; nineteen, to be exact. Her father runs the Oshiro toy company, and she and her family lived in America for five years, and moved back. She lost her mother when she was a few years old in a car accident, and lives only with her brother and father."

"Why do you wanna know anything about that?" Hikaru asked, and his brother just replied with a shrug.

"Just curious, I guess." Hikaru wasn't satisfied with this answer, but decided not to push.

Kyoya hummed to himself as he continued scribbling things down into his notebook. He was hoping to have a conversation with Ms. Oshiro tomorrow; hopefully she'll be free during class or lunch. If not, he'll have to talk to her during club hours.

Unknowing to him, Kaoru had the same idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I I really like writing about Hikaru and Kaoru (mostly Kaoru). I'm excited to write about Kaoru and Ayaka's relationship. I promise that she ends up with Kyoya, but we need a little plot driven things, don't we? I'll try not to hurt him to much, he's probably my favorite right behind Kyoya. But, in the end, Ayaka and Kaoru will probably become best friends (with Hikaru there, too). But who knows, that can all change. The night's still young. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter! Kudos and comments are always appreciated. Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

It was a slow evening for Ayaka. Once she arrived home, she was bombarded with questions by her brother about the club and if she made any new friends. All she wanted to do was her homework, but Seiji wouldn't stop talking. What was she supposed to say? Tell him how she went to a host club? He was too overprotective of her, she could never say that to him. She kept brushing off of what type of club it was, just wanting peace.

"Did you at least make friends?" Seiji asked, pacing back and forth in her room.

She gave a sigh. "I mean, aquentinces, at the most. Possible future friends. Kaoru was pretty nice to me; so was Haruhi and Tamaki. I might have cake tomorrow. Now can I please do homework?"

"Fine, fine," he said, heading towards the door. "Just so you know, I won't stop bothering you about your school days," he said with a grin. Closing the door behind him, she gave a tony smile, happy that she could finally do work.

Then her phone gave a tiny notification noise.

Ayaka groaned, and checked her phone, but her annoyance washed away when she saw it was a text message from Charles.

_Heyyy! I literally have no idea how timezones work, and I cant wrap my head around u being 16 hours ahead of me :p_

_But how was school? (assuming you finished day one)_

She gave a smile when she read this, quickly answering back.

**_Yeah, right now it's currently 5pm. Why are you up at one in the morning?_ **

_Hey u know i stay up all the time  
_ _Answer the question  
_ _How was richy-rich academy school?_

**_Fine. I met a few new people that were quite nice. They're all in a club; a host club, to be precise._ **

She watched with a smile as Charles kept typing, then stopping, and continuing to type. She was excited to see what he had to say about the host club.

_Host club?  
_

As she waited for him to say more, she started to do her homework, watching as he continued to type. She got quite far until he texted again.

_Hostess clubs are a common feature in the night-time entertainment industry of East Asian countries. They employ primarily female staff and cater to men seeking drinks and attentive conversation. The modern host clubs are similar establishments where primarily male staff attend to women._   
_Thats what wikipedia says about them_   
_So like a host club is basically a hostess club but with boys instead?_

_**Precisely**_.

_Wtf you go to Japan and get to meet cute boys  
_ _Is it too late to come over to japan_

__**Afraid so; sorry.  
** _**But you're always welcomed to visit when you have time :)  
** _ __**I need to do homework now, and you need to sleep. Goodnight!**

_Gn_

The conversation ended, and Ayaka finally had time to finish up her homework. She even double-checked everything; she did not want to have a bad first impression with the teacher with incorrect homework. She wanted to spend the rest of the night in peace, either going through her homework, or reading her books on different fairy tales. Ayaka was happy to find that she went uninterrupted for the majority of the night, and was able to finally relax in peace.

Then her brother barged into her room. Again.

Ayaka sighed, not looking up from her book. "Could you at least knock, Seiji?"

"Sis. Dad's coming up in a few minutes," Seiji said, completely ignoring his sister's words. "And he isn't in a happy mood from those meetings."

"What even happened during those meetings?"

"Lots of failed contracts and agreements. Which he blames on me, of course," he answered, muttering the last part. He ran his hand through his thick, black hair, his curly bangs falling back right above his eyes. "He's gonna be up here any minute, and I have no idea what he's gonna do to me. Or you. Do you want me to distract him, maybe?"

"No, no. If he's coming here, then he must have something to say to me. It'll be fine."

"Are you sure? Aya, you didn't see him today. He was extra angry today. Who knows what he's-"

"Ayaka. Seiji." Seiji stopped, and slowly turned around, facing his father. The man stared them down, not saying a word. His hair was slick to the side, grey mixing with black hairs. His suit was crisp, and his square glasses gleaming in the light. "Seiji, come with me." Seiji didn't say anything, but quietly followed him out of the room. Sending his sister one last shaking smile, he left the room, their father closing the door behind him. Ayaka decided to wait for her brother, see if he would come back for a real quick visit before she went to bed.

He never came back for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! I firstly wanna apologize that I keep deleting and re-uploading this chapter; the texting scene is giving me some trouble, and is working as I would like it too. So hopefully, it's better! I really hoped you enjoyed this chapter. I really like Seiji; he's a good older brother that just wants to help his sister. I really like Charles as well; he's really fun to write! (so yes, we'll be seeing a lot more of him) I also hope the texting scene is fine, I really hope it works out, because I plan to do more of them (please tell me if there's anything I should change about it). Kudos and comments are always appreciated. Thank you!


	5. Chapter 5

Ayaka saw Seiji in the morning, eating at the table. Well, less of eating, and more typing on his laptop. He had a plate of toast next to him, but Ayaka never saw him even touch the food, eyes and hands not moving from the laptop. He wore his glasses instead of his usual contact lenses, and his clothes quite wrinkly-did he sleep in the same clothes as the day before? Did he even sleep at all?

He didn't even bid a goodbye as Ayaka left for school.

Ayaka entered the school, reading one of the Grimm brother's tales. People ignored her, like they usually do. So, she was surprised when she heard her name being called when she entered her classroom. Looking up from her book and adjusting her glasses, she saw Tamaki waving his hands from the back of the room, at his desk. Kyoya sat behind him, writing in his infamous black notebook.

Walking over, she took an empty seat next to Kyoya. Tamaki immediately moved over to her desk, with a bright smile, his best friend watching the two out of the corner of his eyes. "Ayaka; do you think you'll be coming by the club again today?"

"W-well, I don't have anything else happening, so...yeah, I'll come by," she said, smiling.

Before Tamaki could exclaim in delight, Kyoya interrupted. "By the way, Ms. Oshiro, if you are not busy, I would like to-"

"Please," Ayaka blurted out, immediately regretting interrupting him. "I-I'm sorry, just, call me Ayaka, please."

Kyoya stared at her for a few moments, eyes full of curiosity. Ayaka stared back, worry going through her head. He gave a warm smile, then went back to his notebook. "All right then," he said, fondness in his voice, "Ayaka. I have to talk to you-" Interrupted by the bell, Kyoya held back his sigh (he had to keep up his composer afterall). She gave a small wave to Tamaki and Kyoya, and walked back to her desk. She mouthed the word 'later' to him, and focused on her book.

Kyoya watched her at times throughout the class, thinking. Something intrigued him about her, he wasn't sure what, though. She spent the class rather reading fairy tales, or daydreaming as she watched the outside world through the window. He wasn't sure why he was so drawn to her-if it was anyone else, he would've brushed her off as any other client, but not her. Ayaka had something special about her-and Kyoya was determined to figure out what.

* * *

During lunch, Kyoya saw this as his time to talk to Ayaka. Following Tamaki and Ayaka down to the cafeteria, he quietly prepared the conversation in his head. What anyone would've done was just strike up a normal conversation with her. But not Kyoya Ootori. He needed everything planned out perfectly, including this. It all had to go well, and he wasn't willing to risk anything going wrong.

Once he had his lunch, he headed towards their usual table. She was unpacking her lunch, sitting across for Kyoya, in between Kaoru and Hikaru. What made it alright with the twins to let someone sit between them was beyond Kyoya; they always sat side-by-side, never letting anyone sit in between them. He wasn't sure what changed. Though, while Hikaru seemed to be normal; talking to his brother (quite literally behind Ayaka's back) and Haruhi, who sat on the other side of him, Kyoya could tell from his mannerisms that Hikaru wasn't happy with this. So the question is, why did he let Ayaka sit there? If it was anyone else, he would've told them to find a different seat. Kaoru was obviously fine with her sitting there, so why was Hikaru angry with this, but not Kaoru?

"Hey, Ayaka, do you wanna switch salads? I'm not a fan of the one's the school provides," Kaoru said.

"Oh, sure! Hikaru, do you wanna switch lunches as well?" she asked, a kind smile on her face.

"Hm? No, I'm fine. Hey Haruhi, I was wondering…"

"O-oh…" Ayaka said, smile still there, even though it was forced. She felt a little embarrassed, heat rising to her face, but she wasn't sure why, in all honesty. It was probably the fact that Hikaru didn't like her. That was probably it.

"Hey, Aya," Kaoru said, grabbing her attention. "Wait, is it fine that I call you Aya?"

"Sure! I-I mean, my brother's really the only one who uses that nickname...but if you want to, you can! I won't stop you."

The two continued to laugh and have conversations as they ate, while Kyoya watched. He honestly didn't expect this. Did something happen the day before that caused the two to become close?

"So," Tamaki started as he sat down, snapping Kyoya back into reality. "I was thinking, maybe on Saturday we could do a club activity!"

Kyoya hummed, writing in his notebook. Tamaki happily continued, "it would just be us, and I was thinking; what if we volunteered at an animal shelter?"

Kyoya paused at this. "Why would we want to do that?" he asked.

"Because! We would have a chance to help the community and help all of those poor animals that have to live in cages." Kyoya didn't say anything, so he continued, "Kyoya, don't you want to see cute little puppies and kittens?"

"Not really, no. Animals aren't really my thing."

"C'mon Kyoya! _Please?"_ Kyoya sighed at his best friend's begging. "Think about all the fun we could have? And what about Haruhi? I'm sure she would love being around all those animals, plus we'll be helping commoners! That would help our image, right?"

Kyoya thought about it. "Well, I supposed photos of you and the other hosts with animals _would_ sell very well," he mused, "and any shelter would appreciate help...I'll think about it."

"Oh, thank you Kyoya!" Tamaki said, giving Kyoya a tight hug. "I'm so happy!"

"We're going to see animals at a shelter?" Honey asked curiously.

"Well, I haven't-"

"Yes we are, Honey-senpai! This Saturday, we'll be heading to one of our local shelters to volunteer! " Tamaki answered, making Honey beam in delight.

"That actually sounds fun," Haruhi said.

Ayaka smiled. "Yeah, th-that really does sound fun! I hope you guys enjoy it."

"Hey, Aya, why don't you join us?" Kaoru suggested, making his brother huff in anger, but stayed quiet.

"Oh, I'm not sure. I-I'm just a client, I don't want to interfere with your guy's work…"

Kyoya gave her a reassuring smile. "Ayaka, we would be happy to have you accompany us to the shelter. It would be our honor to have you there with us."

"Yeah! We'll have a great time if you come," Kaoru said.

"Well, I guess I can't really so no, can I?" Ayaka said, fiddling with her glasses.

"Nope!"

"Alright then, I'll come th-then!"

"Very well. We'll pick you up at your house at eleven in the morning," Kyoya said, closing his notebook. "We'll have lunch as a group, then arrive at the shelter-of my choosing, Tamaki-and do volunteer work."

"That sounds great," she said with a smile. Kyoya didn't say anything else, but gave a small smile. As she went back to her conversations, he planned out the day. Maybe talk to Ayaka during club hours-though, she might be taken by Honey (he _really_ wants to have cake with her), so maybe he'll have time with her during the volunteer work.

Meanwhile, Hikaru quietly watched his brother, who was happily talking with Ayaka. Sure, he and his brother have learned to be a little bit independent, but this? They barely knew her-this was just her second day! Why was Kaoru so close to her already? Worst was, he didn't even really explain himself the day before; they _never_ kept secrets from each other, so why now? What was so special about _her?_

Hikaru was determined to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm pretty excited to write the next chapter, the animal shelter one, so hopefully that will be out soon! Ayaka will finally be able to talk to Kyoya, so that'll be fun. Also, probably some more Ayaka and Kaoru bonding time. Maybe even bonding time with Hikaru, too! But expect a lot of dogs, books, and bonding time for Ayaka and Kyoya :)
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Kudos and comments are always appreciated are always appreciated. Thank you!


	6. Chapter 6

As Kyoya suspected, Ayaka spent her day in the club with Honey and Mori. From what he saw, she spent most of her time eating cake and reading. Ayaka spends her passing time reading, he’s found out. Almost all the time, if she’s not talking to someone or doing work, she was reading her book. She always read fairy tales (which was something Kyoya questioned. Why would she read books about old folklore? Why would she find those interesting?) She didn’t pay too much mind to Honey and Mori, but she did enjoy the cake that they gave her. Kyoya was happy that at least she enjoyed her stay in the club.

After school, Seiji was in the same state as he was in the morning. A cup of coffee at his side, she found him on the desk within his room, typing away on his laptop. He looked tired, but his eyes never left the laptop screen. “Seiji…? Is everything okay?” she asked quietly, standing in the doorway. He gave an agitated sigh, making her regret the choice of bothering him, and ran his hand through his unruly, curly hair. 

“What do you want, Aya? I’m kinda busy at the moment,” he said, not bothering to look up at her.

“Oh, I just...just wanted to tell you that I’ll be out tomorrow. With friends. Acquaintances? Something like that.” When her brother didn’t answer, just gave a tiny nod to herself, and left. The rest of the day was quiet, her brother never coming over to talk to her, not even asking about her day. She’s never seen him act like this before; it just made her worry so much about what their dad said to him. Not being able to calm down, she decided to talk to Charles, to take her mind off of everything.

**_Hey. Are you awake?_ **

_ Yeah, I am. Im getting ready for school right now its 6am. But ive got time _ _  
_ _ Watchu need? _

**_Oh, I didn’t know how early it was over there._ ** **_  
_ ** **_It’s 10pm here_ ** **_  
  
_ **

_ Dude. I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that you don’t have shcool, tomorrow and I do _ _  
_ _ School _ _  
_ _ Youre like a day ahead of me _ _  
_ _ My one braincell cant comprehend this _ _  
  
_

**_Haha_ ** **_  
_ ** **_Well, if it makes you feel any better, I’m heading to the shelter with the club members tomorrow on Saturday._ **

_ You are??? _ _  
_ _ Omg im so jealous _

_ With the cute boys in that host club you talked about??? _

_ I demand pics _

**_Yes, yes, I’ll send you some pictures_ ** **_  
  
_ **

_ Good good _ __  
_ I have to get going now _ _  
_ __ School bus is going to be here soon

_ Talk to ya later! _

**_Have a nice day at school! :)_ **

Once Charles stopped responding, Ayaka sighed as she sat on her bed. 10:30 PM. She thought about just sleeping--she didn’t have her brother to talk to, or Charles. Maybe she could ask for the club member’s phone numbers, so she could talk and hang out with them. Sighing once more, she turned off her lights, turning on her bedside lamp, and decided just to read until she fell asleep.

She woke up to her alarm blaring right next to her ear. Groaning, she slammed on her clock, turning off the noise. Rubbing her eyes, she was suddenly wide awake when she realized what time it was. 

10:49.

Jumping out of bed, she quickly rushed to the side bathroom to get ready. She was frustrated that she slept in her braids, but she wasn’t going to have her hair down. She knew that she would have to wear her hair down at some point, but not today. She hurriedly got ready, not putting any thought into her outfit as she usually would. Just a simple purple long-sleeved shirt, and black jeans with black converse. She fixed up her hair, making sure that both braids were neat and laid on each shoulder. Double checking that her lenses on her glasses weren’t dirty, she rushed down the stairs, and outside the front door. 

And ran into a body. She immediately tensed up, and looked down. “So-sorry, so sorry,” she said, backing off. Glasses askew, she didn’t fix them until she steadied herself. “Sorry.” 

“Please Ayaka, you don’t have anything to apologize for anything,” a soothing voice told her. Looking up, she was met with a charming smile for Kyoya. Fixing her glasses, she looked down again, too embarrassed to look him in the eyes.

“Still. I’m sorry. I-I slept in, an-and I didn’t want to be late, and-”

“Like I said, you don’t need to apologize,” Kyoya interrupted, Ayaka going silent. “The limo is waiting for us. We have to go pick up the twins--the others are going to be picked up by Tamaki--and we’ll head out to the shelter. We’ll eat lunch there, then do some shelter work.” As he explained the schedule of the day, she nodded throughout it all, attentively listening. “Alright then, let’s go.”

Leading her down the porch stairs, Kyoya opened the door for her, and followed her inside the limo. The two were silent for the most part during the car ride, Ayaka soon reverted back to her book that she had. Kyoya leaned over, the book catching his interest.

“What is it that you’re reading?” Ayaka seemed startled by the question; she thought for a few moments, thinking about her answer.

“Well, almost all of the stories that I read are fairy tales. I’ve been reading a lot of Western ones, especially when I lived in the U.S., an-and I wanted to dive back into the fairy tales and folktales of Japan.”

“Oh? And which one are you reading right now?”

“Well, I’m currently reading  _ Kaguyahime,”  _ she said. Kyoya nodded at this, and gave a small smile.

“Yes, I remember that story. It was also known as  _ The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.  _ My mother loved that story, she would always tell me and my brothers that folktale almost every night,” Kyoya said, fondness in his eyes. It was silent for a few moments, until he decided to ask her something. “Ayaka, I have a question,” he started, making her look over once again, “why do you read those stories?”

“Hm? What do you mean by that?” she asked, confused.

“Fairy tales. Why do you read those sorts of stories all the time? Why not read other books? Other books, they at least have realistic endings and paths. These stories always have happy endings, do they not? All they fuel is optimism; then you're left with the cruel, harsh world that only leaves you with disappointment.” Kyoya sighed, and shook his head. “I just don’t understand it.” He looked over to Ayaka, who was looking down at her lap, where her now closed book sat, wearing a sad expression. She didn’t say anything for a few moments, just staring down.

Kyoya quietly panicked, thinking that he overstepped his boundaries. “If you don’t feel comfortable answering it, you don’t have to-”

“No, no, I’m...I’m fine,” she said, readjusted her glasses. “This just...reminding me of something. From a few years back. To answer your question though…” she took a deep breath, planning out what she wanted to say. “Maybe...maybe these stories  _ do _ just bring false optimism. But I like it. These stories bring me to a different world, that’s not filled with our own problems. I like how all the stories end. Sure, not  _ all  _ of them have good endings, but I still like the ones with bad endings. I like being in these little worlds, so I don’t have to worry. Just for a little while. Fairy tales are like dreams, in a way. They’re just little worlds our minds make up, so we don’t have to suffer in our own world. At least, that’s how I see it.” 

She gave a small, sad chuckle. “You know, my Dad would always tell me that fairy tales were like dreams, that they were just silly things that needed to be forgotten and that they were just getting in my way. But...I quite like them, for that reason.” Kyoya stared at her for a few moments, and gave a soft smile.

“Interesting.”

She looked up at him. “Interesting? That’s all you have to say?” There was no malice in her voice, more of teasing if anything, her lips forming into a bright smile. 

“Yes, that’s all. Just interesting.” She gave a laugh, and looked up at him, eyes sparkling.

“You’re that one that’s interesting, Kyoya.” Before anyone said anything else, Kyoya noticed that the vehicle stopped moving. Looking out the window, he noticed that they arrived at the twins’ place. 

“It seems that we’ve arrived at the Hitachiin residence,” he said. “I’ll go get them, you can stay here.” Getting out of the limo, Kyoya left Ayaka in the quiet space, alone.

She smiled to herself, and opened her book back up. She was excited for the rest of the day, to say the least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry this took a while, I have other projects going on. I originally wanted to have the rest of the day in this chapter, but I realized that the chapter would be too long. So the next chapter will be of the Shelter!  
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Kudos and comments are always appreciated. Thanks!


End file.
